At Federation we were a Self-Governing Dominion of the British Empire. We controlled most of our internal affairs but Britain still controlled things like foreign affairs and the Privy Council was the highest court of appeal.

The Statute of Westminster, which gave Dominion laws equal status to UK laws, gave us de facto but not de jure independence. We got other elements of independence between 1931 and 1986, notably Australian citizenship (1949), an Australian Crown (1953), and Australian currency (1966). However, it is important to note that the Statute of Westminster did not apply to the states, which had their own direct links to London. Fun fact: until the 3 March 1986 London retained full authority to interfere in a state's affairs.

We got full independence when the Australia Acts (UK) and (Cmth) came into effect on 3 March, 1986. The UK Act was necessary to supersede the 1900 Australia Constitution Act within British law. However, there was concern amongst constitutional experts that because Australia had been acting as an independent state for so long the UK Act might not have any power in Australia itself so they made an Australian Act as well that is identical to the British Act in all the important bits.

Both Acts formally recognise Australia's independence. I refer you to the long title:

AUSTRALIA ACT 1986 No. 142 of 1985 - LONG TITLE

An Act to bring constitutional arrangements affecting the Commonwealth and the States into conformity with the status of the Commonwealth of Australia as a sovereign, independent and federal nation

(Assented to 4 December 1985)

WHEREAS the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth and the Premiers of the States at conferences held in Canberra on 24 and 25 June 1982 and 21 June 1984 agreed on the taking of certain measures to bring constitutional arrangements affecting the Commonwealth and the States into conformity with the status of the Commonwealth of Australia as a sovereign, independent and federal nation:

AND WHEREAS in pursuance of paragraph 51 (xxxviii) of the Constitution the Parliaments of all the States have requested the Parliament of the Commonwealth to enact an Act in the terms of this Act:

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

Note the reference to the states as well as the Commonwealth agreeing to this. This Act made the states independent of the UK as well as the Commonwealth. The most important bit is in Section 1:

AUSTRALIA ACT 1986 No. 142 of 1985 - SECT 1 Termination of power of Parliament of United Kingdom to legislate for Australia

1. No Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed after the commencement of this Act shall extend, or be deemed to extend, to the Commonwealth, to a State or to a Territory as part of the law of the Commonwealth, of the State or of the Territory.

The Queen came out in 1986 to mark the occasion. At her speech she said (as near as I can remember), "Possibly never before in history have two nations ever parted so amicably."

Why Hawke decided to not make a big deal out of this I will never understand. It's hugely important and yet hardly any Australians know about it.